Garment



W. KOPS GARMENT Feb. 14, 1939.

Filed Jan. 21, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR- BY ATTORNEY- Feb. 14, 1939. v w KOPS 2,147,166

GARMENT Filed Jan/21 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N QK INVENTOR- ZM ZZAW/Q 0 BY Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES GARMENT Waldemar Kops, New York, N. Y., assignor to 'Kops Brothers, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 21, 1932, Serial No. 587,888

6 Claims.

This invention relates to garments of the corset type adapted to confine appropriate portions of the body of the wearer.

An important feature of the improved garment is the provision of a structure which is flexible .and yielding in all directions and yet exerts a definite restraining or confining action upon the flesh so as to bring the figure as nearly as possible into the desired lines. For this purpose I em- 10 ploy a material in the construction of the garment which will stretch or yield both longitudinally and laterally and will be restored toits original form under relatively strong, elastic forces as soon as the distorting forces have been is relieved. The improved garment is such, in its preferred form, that it is free from stiffening elements or materials having such heavybodythat they interfere with the free movement of the wearer. z Heretofore garments of the corset or flesh con fining type have been constructed of such heavy, stiff materials, in many cases supplemented by stiffening stays, that a positive restraint -has been enforced upon the movements of the wearer. These garments have usually consisted of alternate sections of elastic and inelastic material sewn together in such a way as to allow for stretching of the garment at certain points, but only in one direction, while 'at other points no appreciable stretching is normally permitted. The elastic sections of these garments, to provide the desired restraining action, have been formed of such heavy material that they produce a decidedly uncomfortable effect in certain positions assumed by the wearer.

In accordance with the present invention I have produced a garment which is at all points so soft and flexible that it occasions no discomfiture whatever to the wearer and due-to its ability to stretch in either direction'it conforms readily to all contours of the body. Furthermore, by virtue of the yieldability in all directions the garment affords no positive restraint upon ones movements. Forexample all of the bodily motions required in various sports such as golf and tennis may be brought'about without interference by the garment.

Various problems were presented in the production of the improved garment. It was difficult and yet necessary to develop for this purpose a material having the desired yield and stretch in any direction and at the same time having a high degree of elasticity which would set fip sufficiently strong restoring forces. These restoring forces must be of such magnitude as to insure a proper molding or confinement of the flesh, otherwise the garment will fail to perform its intended function. I have found that a suitable material 'for the purpose may be knit by the use of sufiiciently fine threads to be handled by a' knitting machine. In such a material a stretch in any direction is made possible by virtue of the knit construction 1. e. as a result of the spreading or distortion of the loops. The

elasticity of the rubber threads also enters-into 10 the production of a highly stretchable material particularly in the general direction of the length of the threads. This elasticityfurthermore serves to set up the desired transverse restoring forces since any stretching "of the ma- 15 terial will tend to produce an elongation of the rubber threads. The fact that a considerably easier stretch is provided in the general direction of length of the yarn than crosswise forms the basis of a very 20 important advantage of thenew construction. By placing the material in the garment in such a way that for the most part the yarn will run generally in a direction from top to bottom of the garment there is produced an easy stretch 25 longitudinally of the body and a comparatively firm stretch in a transverse direction. The transverse stretch serves to produce the desired for'm molding or flesh confining eifect while the longitudinal stretch tends to aiford a-complete freedom of movement. Heretofore garments which have been provided with only a transverse stretch have had an unavoidable tendency to ride up upon the body as the result of any bending at the Waist. This tendency has been 35 noticeable, for example, in the course of assuming a sitting posture. A downward adjustment has almost invariably been required upon again assuming a standing position. This is due to the fact that any bending at the waist neces- 40 sarily produces a decrease in the distance between certain points of the body .and an increase in the distance between other points. A forward bend at the waist line, for example, causes a contraction at the front and an expansion at the 45 back. Now the improved garment, by virtue of its easy longitudinal stretch, allows these contractions and expansions to take place without displacement of any portion of the garment and without the bunching or wrinkling of the material at contracted points. This ability of the garment to remain substantially fixed upon the body throughout the course of relatively strenuous exercises has a variety of distinct advantages in addition to the greater comfort which it affords.

be transferred to the crotch piece.

It places a minimum strain upon the garter attachments usually provided on garments of this character; this in turn relieves the heavy strains normally transmitted to the hosiery which so frequently results in damage to the hose. In fact it is not even necessary to provide garters insofar as retaining the garment in position is concerned. This admirably adapts a garment of the general character contemplated to be worn beneath a bathing suit or as a dance belt or under other conditions in which no long hose is to be worn since no objectionable tension will The garment may also assume the form of a type of breeches or drawers since there will be no tendency for the leg sections to ride up and produce an uncomfortable pressure. So also at the upper end of a combination garment little or no tension will be placed upon the shoulder straps and there will be no tendency to cutting even in the course of comparatively strenuous exercise.

Still another advantage of the two-way stretch contemplated by the present invention is that a garment, even of the combination type, may be formed without any openings requiring fastening in the application of the garment to the body. An increase in the transverse dimension may readily be obtained by a contraction in the length of the garment thus enabling it to be readily slipped onto the body. When the garment is placed under tension'at its ends, however, the transverse dimension will again be reduced and a film molding action will result. This same characteristic of the garment enables it to be readily adapted to'figures of varying proportion. Thus the same garment may be adapted to fit a tall'slender person and a somewhat shorter but stouter person. Contraction in one direction will be offset by expans on in the other.

It-is important for various reasons that the form of stitch employed in the knitting should be such as to produce a close or tight knit fabric. A loose knit structure such as results from a plain knitting stitch will be found to lack the desired transverse restoring forces. not exert the necessary molding influence upon the flesh which must be brought into certain predetermined lines. This is particularly true where a fine rubber thread capable of being readily handled by a knitting machine is employed. It has been found that a knit material produced by a rack stitch, i. e. one in which the loops have been bunched at regular intervals due to a lateral shifting of the needle bars in the course of knitting, is particularly effective. Other forms of knit stitch, such as various forms of lock stitches, produced on machines involving a needle bed shift at intervals in the operation will be found quite satisfactory. Stitches of these more complex varieties than the'ordinary or plainknit stitch will have a lesser tendency to produce runs and will entail less difficulty due to unravelling. Any tendency to run or unravel will be veryouickly checked by the knitting of the inter-locked loops. A tight-knit garment having the necessary molding and confining properties may be produced from a fine rubber thread used either alone or in conjunction with cotton, silk or wool thread, the resulting material having a fine texture with the softness and flexibility of knit materials not having the rubber incorporated. While the material may, if desired, be formed completely of the fine rubber filament it is considered preferable to combine some cotton, silk or wool with the rubber. A very satisfactory result may be obtained by It will, accordingly.

the employment of alternate threads of rubber and any of the non-elastic threads commonly employed. A fabric knit from this combination of threads, if the stitch is sufficiently tight, will be found to possess the desired degree of elasticity and will at the same time be free from the usual objection to materials embodying a substantially continuous rubber surface. Materials of the latter type interfere too much with the free circulation of air and thus tend to .reduce the normal respiration through the pores and to produce sweating.

Other problems presented in the development of the improved garment were the provision of a suitable binding for the free edges of the knit material to prevent unraveling and at the same time permit the full stretch of the material. Attachment of this binding to the edges of the material. furthermore, has necessitated a form of stitch which will permit the maximum stretch of the material. In order to insure proper conformity of the garment to the figure it has been found desirable to form it of several sections of material properly cut and joined along suitable seams. The production of seams which at the same time permit proper binding of the free edges of the material, allow full stretch, and present a neat, inconspicuous appearance, has afforded a further problem. In some instances the binding may advantageously be omitted but in any case the stitching must be such as not to interfere with the stretch of the material.

While it is considered to be particularly desirable to employ a tight or close knit construction employing both elastic and inelastic yarn in the production of the material, the two way stretch may be provided in other ways. It has been found that the moldingproperties of the garment contemplated are increased to a certain extent by the fact that a pull is constantly exerted lengthwise of the garment due tothe provision of suitable garter attachments and, in some instances, also shoulder straps. This longitud nal pull upon the knit fabric has a desirable tendency to draw in upon the circumferential dimension of the gar ment, although the tension is not sufficiently great to place an objectionable strain upon the garters and hose.

In general it is considered preferable to employ the knitted fabric with the elastic threads extending lengthwise of the garment. In some cases, however, due to the particular form of stitch it may be desirable to have these threads extend in a generally transverse direction. This will depend upon the relative ease of stretching in the two directions. It is desirable, as previously explained, that the garment stretch more readily in a longitudinal direction.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from a detailed description of an 11- lustrative and preferred embodiment of the same which will now be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a garment embodying the features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the garment.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the garment applied to a wearer.

Fig. 4 is a magnified detail view of a section of a form of knit material particularly suited to the production of the garment.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of a seam, and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the seam along the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Referring now to the drawings it will be noted that substantially the entire garment, which in this instance comprises a combination girdle and brassiere, is formed of material having the same texture throughout. It may, if desired, be knit as one continuous, endless member although it is considered preferable to form it of separate fiat sections joined together by stitching since this permits a desired contour to be more readily and accurately provided. For example, the garment may well comprise a front section l0 and a rear section II joined, in a way to be more particularly described hereinafter, along suitable seam lines l2 at the sides. The material of which the sections l0 and II are formed may be of a variety of different forms so long as it has the ability to stretch transversely as well as longitudinally and, when stretched, sets up sufficiently powerful restoring forces to properly confine and mold the flesh. It has beenfound that a knit fabric composed of alternate elastic and inelastic threads knit tightly or closely together, preferably on a machine involving a needle bed shift, is particularly well suited for the purpose. In such a fabric a greater amount of yield or elasticity is provided in the direction of the general length of the threads but a considerable yield and elasticity is also provided in a transverse direction. By placingthe material in the garment with the threads running generally from top to bottom a most desirable yielding and confining action is produced. A relatively easy yield or stretch is permitted in the direction of length of thegannent while a firmer restraining force is produced in a transverse direction.

An example of a form of stitch which is well suited for the present purposes is disclosed in magnified form in Figure 4. The elastic threads l3 are indicated with cross-hatching or crosslines while the non-elastic yarn l4 formed of cotton, silk or wool, is indicated with longitudinally. extending lines. It will be observed that along certain lines, such as indicated by the arrows l5l5, the loops of the threads are bunched together and interlocked in a more complicated way than would be the case in a plain stitch knit. Furthermore the elastic threads being formed into cross loops in such a way that they have a tendency to draw the entire structure, including the inelastic loops, tightly together, serve to form a compact, knit fabric. This not only adds strength and high elasticity to the material but serves also to prevent the development of runs. This form of stitch is brought about by the relative, lateral shifting of the needle bars of a fiat bed knitting machine, preferably in 'the course of producing certain or all of the elastic stitches. It will be noted that to produce the knit fabric illustrated in Figure 4 the needle bars must be shifted in the course of taking only alternate elastic stitches while the successive relative shifts of the needle bars as viewed from the front must be made in opposite directions, i. e. first to the right, then to the left, then to the right again on the third shift, and so on successively. Obviously other types of stitch would be satisfactory also, so long as they produce a relatively tight knit structure. This is important since it insures the production of the sufficiently strong elastic forces to properly mold and confine the flesh, Adoption of a somewhat complicated stitch furthermore, with the elastic loops tending to draw the stitches together, obvi ates to'a large extent the occurrence'of runs" upon the breaking of a thread at some point. The loops are so interlocked that they quickly become knotted adjacent a point of break, particularly under the action of the elastic threads.

The elasticv thread employed in the material may be of any suitable nature so long as it is sufficiently fine in cross-section to be handled by a knitting machine. It is preferably of a type which is round in section and of a gauge of approximately'fil of an inch, although rubber filaments ranging between .0075 and .02 inch more or less may be employed. It may be produced in the manner known in the art by the extrusion or spinning and coagulation of latex or similar substances directly in filamentary form or it may be simply produced as fine cuts from flat rubber sheets in which case its cross-section will normally be rectangular or square. The rubber filaments may,.if desired, be used in their natural form or they may be coated or wrapped in any suitable way to present a different appearance and feel. For example, a suitable cotton or silk covering may be provided throughout the entire length of the filament, the covering material being preferably wound around the elastic core while the latter, is extended and being soarranged that it will not interfere with the stretching of the elastic.

The proportion of elastic to inelastic threads in the garment may readily be varied. For example. two elastic threads may be inter-knitted with a single inelastic thread or the inelastic threads may predominate. However a structure having alternate elastic and inelastic thread will be found particularly well suited, especially if the elastic thread is covered with cotton, wool or silk.

Referring now to Figure 5, there is shown, on an enlarged scale, a portion of one of the seams provided between the sections In and H at a side of the garment. In lieu of providing a tape across the seam, each edge of thematerial that is brought together to form the seam is bound with a suitable form of tape. Thus a tape 16 is folded over the free edge of the section I 0 and stitched thereto by a line of stitching l1. Similarly a tape I8 is folded over the free edge of the section I I and secured thereto by stitching IS. The two taped edges are then joinedtogether by suitable stitching 20. In order that the yield and elasticity of the material of the garment will not be lost at the seams, it is important that the tapes, as well as the stitching, will have substantially the same ability to stretch. For this purpose the tape may suitably be formed of knit silk out in such a way that the maximum stretch will be provided in the direction of length'of the tape. The material may, for this purpose, becut on the bi as. A form of loop stitch will be found quite satisfactory for the stitching since it will permit the necessary yielding of the material between successive stitch points. If desired the stitching I1 and I9 may be omitted and the stitching 20 may be relied upon to bind the tape to the free edges of the material as well as to join the two bound edges.

In order to avoid the production of any undue tension upon the bust of the wearer an inelastic section of soft material of any suitable nature may be provided in the form of pockets 2| and 22 in the front of the brassiere portion of the garment. The material of which these pockets are'formed may be suitably extended across a V shaped section 23 so that the pockets will not be subjected to any tendency to draw them together. The free edges 24 and 25 of the section l0 Gil of the garment which are joined to the pockets 2| and 22 are preferably bound in the same way as the edges at the seams [2, although the binding tape and the stitch employed for this purpose may, if desired, be incapable of any appreciable stretch since the material of the pockets will prevent stretching. The V section 23 may be sewn by any form of machine stitch along the edges 26 which need not be bound. Along its upper edge the garment is preferably bound by a stretchable tape 21 attached by a loop stitch or the like so that the stretching of the garment will not be interfered with at this point. At the lower edge the garment may be similarly bound or may be simply provided with a hem 28 having its free edge secured to the main body of the garment by a loop stitch or the like which will not interfere with the stretching of the lower edge. Suitable shoulder straps 29 and garter attachments 30 should be provided. These will tend to exert a more or less constant pull lengthwise of the garment and in the general direction of length of the rubber filaments. Due to the knit structure of the fabric this will tend to reduce the circumferential dimension of the garment and improve its form confining properties.

While the invention has been particularly disclosed in connection with combination garments it will be understood that it is also applicable to other garments of the fiesh confining type, such as girdles and the like. It will further be understood that the invention is not to be regarded as limited to the particular details of construction of the garment or of the various materials suggested but is subject to various modifications falling within the terms of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A combination garment comprising a permanently connected body-encircling member having a front section formed of material including elastic threads and capable of substantial stretching longitudinally and transversely, and a brassiere portion of inelastic material secured to said front section adjacent the top, said elastic threads being so arranged as to provide a firm transverse tension but an easy longitudinal stretch, thereby avoiding the tensioning of the brassiere portion in the movements of the body.

2. A combination garment comprising a permanently connected body-encircling member adapted to encircle the abdomen, hips and buttocks with a firm molding action and having a front section formed of material including elastic threads and capable of substantial and simultaneous stretching longitudinally and transversely, and a brassiere portion secured to said front section adjacent its top, said elastic threads being so arranged as to provide a firm transverse tension but an easy longitudinal stretch to permit a substantial vertical movement of the brassiere relative to the lower portion of the garment upon a corresponding movement of the body.

3. A combination garment comprising a body encircling member adapted to encircle the abdomen hips and buttocks with a firm molding action and having a front section formed of material including elastic threads and capable of substantial and simultaneous stretching longitudinallyand transversely,and a brassiere portion permanently secured to said front section adjacent its top, said elastic threads being so arranged as to provide a firm transverse tension but an easy longitudinal stretch to permit a substantial vertical movement of the brassiere relative to the lower portion of the garment as worn upon a corresponding movement of the body.

4. A garment of the corset type comprising a body encircling member having a section formed of material closely knit from elastic andinelastic threads with a distorted stitch involving a shifting of one course relative to another to form a fabric having crooked wales which provide for an increased stretch, said section having a stronger contractive force in one direction than another and being so arranged in said garment as to permit substantial and simultaneous stretching in all directions but providing a firm molding action to the abdomen, hips and'buttocks transversely of the body and an easy stretch longitudinally of the garment to avoid slippage of said section relative to the body in bending.

5. A garment of the corset type comprising a body encircling member having a section formed of material closely knit from elastic and inelastic threads with a distorted stitch involving a shifting of one course relative to another to form a fabric having partially overlapping wales which provide for an increased stretch, said section having a stronger contractive force in one direction than another and being so arranged in said garment as to permit substantial and simultaneous stretching in all directions but providing a firm molding action to the abdomen, hips and buttocks transversely of the body and an easy stretch longitudinally of the garment to avoid slippage of said section relative to the body in bending.

6. A garment of the corset type comprising a body encircling member having a section formed of material closely knit from elastic and inelastic threads with a distorted stitchcausing the wales forming one row to cross back and forth over the wales forming an adjacent row to thereby provide for an increased stretch, said section having a stronger contractive force in one direction than another and being so arranged in said garment as to permit substantial and simultaneous stretching in all directions but providing a firm molding action to the abdomen, hips and buttocks transversely of the body and an easy stretch longitudinally of the garment to avoid slipping of said section relative to the body in bending.

WALDEMAR KOPS. 

